FIX: Another installation is already in progress error

The another installation is in progress error message can show up when installing virtually any piece of software for Windows. Since there can be only one installer process running, we sometimes have this situation.

If you are not trying to install anything else simultaneously, quick fixes are to end the Windows Installer process or to restart it. More options are in the article.

1. Restart the Windows Installer service

Windows relies on its services in order to run properly, and there’s a service called Windows Installer that’s in charge for installing new software.

Whenever you try to install a new application, this service will start and help you install it.

Sometimes certain repair or uninstall processes can start automatically in the background, and it can require Windows Installer service in order to run.

If you try to install another software while Windows Installer is running you’ll encounter this error. One of the simplest ways to fix this problem is to open Services window and to restart the Windows Installer service.

To do that, follow these steps:

Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog. Enter services.msc and press Enter or click the OK button.

List of all available services will now appear. Locate Windows Installer on the list and double click it to open its properties.

If the service is running, click the Stop button to stop it. Wait for a few seconds and then click the Start button to start it again.

Right click it and choose End Task from the menu. Often you’ll see a 32-bit and 64-bit version of Windows Installer running. If you have multiple Windows Installer processes running be sure to stop them both.

Close Task Manager and try to install the application again.

Solution 3 – Disable Windows Installer service and restart your PC

Windows Installer service is common culprit for Another installation is already in progress error, and if restarting the service doesn’t help, you might want to temporarily disable it.

This is a simple process and you can perform it by following these steps:

Open the Services window. For detailed instructions on how to do that, check the Solution 1.

Once the Services window is open, locate Windows Installer service and double click it to open its properties.

Set the Startup Type to Disabled and click Apply and OK to save changes.

After doing that, restart your PC.

After your PC restarts, open the Services window again.

Locate Windows Installer service and open its properties.

Set the Startup Type to Manual and click OK and Apply to save changes.

Close Services window and try to perform the installation again.

Few users also reported that they fixed the problem simply by changing the Startup Type of Windows Installer service to Automatic. This is a simple procedure, and you can perform it by following the steps above.

4. Perform Disk Cleanup

Few users reported that performing Disk Cleanup fixed the issue for them. It seems that Another installation is already in progress error is caused by temporary files left by previous installations.

By running Disk Cleanup you’ll easily remove any temporary files left by older installations. Running Disk Cleanup is quite simple, and you can perform it by following these steps:

5. Perform a Clean Boot

According to users, sometimes Another installation is already in progress error can appear due to startup applications or services. To fix this problem, you need to perform a Clean Boot, and you can do that by following these steps:

Press Windows Key + R and enter msconfig. Press Enter or click OK.

System Configuration window will now appear. Go to Services tab.

Check Hide all Microsoft services option and then click on Disable all.

Now go to Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager.

List of all available startup items will appear. Right click each item on the list and choose Disable from the menu.

After disabling all startup items, close Task Manager.

Go back to System Configuration window and click Apply and OK to save changes.

Restart your PC.

When your PC restarts, check if the problem still persists. If the issue is resolved, it means that a third-party application or service was causing the problem.

To identify the problem, open System Configuration window and turn on disabled services one by one. Keep in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC after enabling a service in order to apply changes.

Be sure to repeat the same process in Task Manager for Startup applications.

After making changes to your registry, you need to set the Startup type of the Windows Installer service to Disabled. After that, restart your PC and set the Startup type for Windows Installer to Manual.

7. Uninstall and reinstall Office

Users reported Another installation is already in progress error message while installing Microsoft Office. This can occur because another Office installation or update was running in the background when you started the setup.

To fix this problem, check for the Office icon in the system tray to see if the installation is running. If Office is installing or updating, you’ll need to wait for the process to finish.

If there’s no Office icon in the system tray, you need to uninstall and reinstall Office. To uninstall Office, simply follow these steps:

9. Remove problematic applications with Revo Uninstaller

Another installation is already in progress error can be caused by almost any installed application on your PC. To fix this problem, you need to do a bit of research and find the problematic application on your own.

After finding the application, you need to use Revo Uninstaller or any other similar tool. Of course, you can also remove the application by going to the Settings app.

Many users suggest using a third-party uninstaller because these uninstallers will perform a detailed uninstall.

Regular uninstall might not remove registry entries or leftover files, and this is why it’s usually better to use a third-party uninstaller such as Revo. After completely removing the problematic application, check if the problem is resolved.

You can download for free one of the recommended uninstallers from the following links:

10. Re-register Windows Installer

In most cases this error is caused by Windows Installer, and one potential solution is to re-register Windows Installer. This is relatively simple to do and it requires you to enter two commands in Command Prompt.

Set the user name for the new user account and click Next. If you want, you can also protect the new account with a password.

After creating a new user account, log out of our current account and switch to the new one. Check if the error message appears on a new user account.

If everything is in order, you might want to move your personal files to a new account and start using it as your main account.

12. Fix the “Another installation is in progress” error for Visual Studio 2015

Solution – Edit your registry

Another installation is already in progress error can appear while installing any application, and users reported that it appears while installing Visual Studio 2015.

To fix this problem, you need to delete a single value from your registry. This is relatively simple, but before you make any changes to your registry, we strongly advise that you create a backup.

By doing so, you can remedy any potential issues that can occur after modifying the registry. To fix this problem, follow these steps:

Open Registry Editor. You can do that by pressing Windows Key + R and entering regedit.

When Registry Editor starts, navigate to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlSession Manager

In the right pane locate PendingFileRenameOperations value. Right click it and choose Delete from the menu. We have to mention that deleting values from registry can lead to certain problems, so we advise you to create a backup of your registry just in case.

Another installation is already in progress error will prevent you from installing new software. This can be a tedious problem, but we hope that you solved it by using one of our solutions.

FAQ: Learn more about another installation is in progress error

How do you check if another installation is in progress?

Best chance is to open Task Manager and search for the generic Windows installation setup icon or a name related to some software that you recently installed or updated.

How can I see what programs are installed?

Open the Start Menu and start scrolling through the long list of programs that are installed. Otherwise, go to Control Panel -> Programs and features -> Add or Remove program and there you should find everything installed. The list might not contains Windows programs. Those can be found in the Apps&features section in the Settings App.

How do I force stop installation?

Right click on taskbar and open Task Manager. Click the Processes tab. Select msiexec.exe, right click on it and End Process.

Editor’s Note:This post was originally published in February 2017 and has been since completely revamped and updated in May 2020 for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.